B.I.O.N.I.C. Team Resources to Support You in 2022!

Happy New Year 2022! Over the last month from every direction, I heard people saying that they could not wait for 2021 to be over. There has been a feeling of overwhelm everywhere we look – among the young and the old. And now as we have turned the page on a new year, on Tuesday the United States reported over one million new cases of COVID – the most in one day since the COVID pandemic struck in 2019.

More than ever before, we really do need each other…but we have to stay 6-feet apart! How can we be there for each other in the midst of this continuing saga? Our young people are struggling the most, but there is hope in seeing the impact our B.I.O.N.I.C. Teams (Believe It Or Not I Care) are having in their schools. Even though the pandemic is hindering their efforts for their typical outreaches, they are adjusting to help their peers in this new era.

The statistics are disheartening and the evidence can be seen in how the kids have regressed in their social skills. Last spring after students returned to school after the six-month lockdown, the regression was seen in a middle school physical education class. Maria – a 6^th grader – was so excited to play basketball in PE – the first time since COVID. Going up for a rebound, Amy pushed her and Maria slid across the floor. Stunned, Maria GROWLED. The kids roared in laughter, and Amy said, “What are you a dog?” Maria ran to the school counselor’s office, but she didn’t return to school. She was suicidal the rest of the semester, but her mom and school counselor got her the help that she needed. During the lockdown, Maria’s only key social interactions had been with her two infant siblings and three dogs – besides her mom.

Our kids are in crisis. Bullying, school shootings, and suicides are on the rise, and this semester there is more concern than ever since the pandemic is spiking to its highest level yet. The recent natural disasters across the U.S. of tornadoes hitting ten states on December 10^th and the wildfires in Boulder, Colorado last week have added to the toll on everyone. If you have been impacted, you don’t have to figure out how to deal with this on your own.

Last spring the Children’s Hospital of Colorado declared a “State of Emergency for Children’s Mental Health,” and now two other groups – the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have expanded it to include the entire nation. This declaration has brought about more awareness and support to get through this time.

Here are some places to find support for your specific needs:

• Children’s Hospital Association
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• American School Counselor Association – including some resources regarding the natural disasters recently
• National Association of School Psychologists

In our next blog post on Tuesday and others weekly this semester, we will share with you some of the outreaches our B.I.O.N.I.C. Teams have been doing to help support students going through tough times. We really do need each other and the isolation that has come from lockdowns and social distancing are being reduced by the caring actions of our B.I.O.N.I.C. Team students reaching out to their peers to prevent them from slipping through the cracks. Seventeen years ago, students at Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, Colorado started the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team movement that has spread worldwide in elementary, middle, and high schools and colleges. Their dream is to create a more caring climate in schools to let students know they are “seen,” they “matter,” and people care! Thank you for being a part of the movement!